Where to put the downspouts ?

[thatswhoiam]

The MH is a 96 model waverly 16 x 80 that has the typical small gutters, (metal). I don't recall that it ever had downspouts, and I am not sure where to put them. I am going to use small downspouts. the thing is on level ground....and on both ends the roof has a gable shape, so the water comes down off those steep inclines pretty quick.

where are the typical placements for downspouts? I dont mean just how many or how many feet apart, but approximate spots to put them.

I have an attached patio in the front (when facing the home, its centered to the right).

I stumbled onto this website a while back and started reading a few things, and I must say, I have learned a lot. i've never been one to do maintenance, because I never really knew the importance of it...thanks to you folks, I do now. but sadly, it may be a little late b/c I've let things go for so long and this place has suffered the damage, mostly related to rain water.

the photo is not of mine, but this is what it looks like

[Greg]

Glad you found us.
Well at least you didn't use the "I'm a woman" excuse for not doing maintenance.
I will tell you with all honesty that I don't think there has EVER been a problem that we did not solve eventually, There are a lot of great minds here and most of us have been where you are at one time or another.

As far as actual downspouts, I don't think I have ever heard of them for the small factory "gutters". Most people install full size gutters and either bend the small ones into the gutter or remove them. As for placement, remember that you want to keep the area under your home as dry as possible to prevent mold issues.

Greg

[thatswhoiam]

no downspouts....wonder where the creators of those little things thought the water would go ?

I've managed to get the things patched up to the point that the gutters are no longer siphoning water into the crawlspace by fixing the seams and using makeshift wedges to lift them up. I've also put peel and stick along the edges of the roof and just beyond the termination bar. (4 inch width). also put the peel and stick around all the pipes and vents....which was another problem that was about to get very serious had it not been discovered.

the biggest surprise was some rotted wood under the kitchen sink due to a very small but consistent gutter leak that went on for about 8 months.

I've pretty much come to dislike water and rain.

[Greg]

What do you have for sub floors? Particle board or OSB? Particle board is nothing more than glued sawdust that falls apart after it gets soaked. OSB uses larger chips that hold up much better after they get wet.
As you have found (The hard way) water is your homes worst enemy.
Back to the "Gutters", I think the manufacturers use them as more of a large drip edge or flashing to keep water from getting behind the outside wall and just figured that water would run out the ends.

Greg

[thatswhoiam]

the floor is not particle board, because its very sturdy and thick, and looks like new wood, although its been there since 96. this mh must be pretty tough because in '05 it withstood a hella beating from katrina, and the fact that i'm its owner who did no maintenance since ever.

so far i think it only affected a section of 2 boards.... one of the boards that makes the frame of the walls...(the one that runs up and down, I think studs?)... and another one that runs horizontal. most all of the affected areas were removed......and now to affix some new boards to the remaining sections to restore the support. it doesn't appear as though it went further than a couple of inches into the depth of the home and spared the floor. checked about 5 feet of an area on both sides of the damage, and everything was dry beyond the visible rot. ....i was hesitant to look any further along the mh for more damage ....but i suppose I will do that next week.

once i realized what was going on, it was raining daily, so all I could do was bend and re angle the flashing to at least re route the water to a different area. and water is tricky as hell, as i spent a great deal of time out in the rain chasing it around.